I find the phenomenon of groupthink to be very interesting. I think groupthink happens in most classes where there are presentations. The first group is always at a disadvantage, especially when there are limited parameters such as in this class. I have experienced this for presentations even when there are parameters. Groupthink was not mentioned in the 'Teams' presentation, so I would like to take the opportunity to explain how it has affected me in my schooling.
Groupthink has occurred in my academic career several times. The most recent time was on a group project last semester. My group was the first to present our project so we did not have the opportunity to learn the formatting and the professor’s preferences ahead of time. Without this information or her guidance, we were not initially able to satisfy her expectations. Had we considered the variability ahead of time, we could have reached out to her before the due date to ensure we were on the right track. Groupthink contributed to this issue because all team members were under the same impression that this was a standard presentation as we had in other business classes. If we had students from other majors in our group, they may have pointed out inconsistencies in her class compared to our other classes that we had not noticed.
As Jess said in class today, her group was first to present this semester. She self assessed their presentation as boring and dry- just flipping through slides. After a few more presentations they realized the different ways they could teach such as through videos and activities. If they had the experiences with presenting for an entire class that Kyle and I have had, it could have been different. Perhaps Kyle and I contributed to groupthink and would have been better suited to present with other groups.
Monday, May 8, 2017
Post Grad Life- Mentorship in the Workplace
I read an interesting article on mentorship from Forbes recently. We had a class in the "two" section of the semester on mentorship, which I found interesting, however, I was not looking through the lenses of a person who will literally be in the workforce in a month. Although I am joining the company I interned with last summer, I have selected a different office in Boston and therefore only know one person.
The article talks about setting an agreement from the beginning to make sure there is no confusion and each party starts on the same page. Things to be discussed are how often to speak, schedules, and whether or not there is a personal connection. The article says that without actually liking the person on the individual level, it will end up being a chore to chat- even if they have a lot to teach.
So how do I pick a mentor? Should it be within the company I am working for? Is that a conflict of interest if they are in my department or senior to my manager? How do I promote myself so that they want to mentor me?
I overheard a conversation with career coach this past summer that held an interesting idea. They were telling this to a friend of mine at a casual social gathering. This friend was hoping to climb in their company but felt held back by her manager. The coach said to make an effort to meet everyone in the (small) company. She said to try to have coffee with someone new every week. It could be 15 minutes, it could be an hour, but get your face out there and really learn what everyone does, where they are, and who could be an ally and friend. I think this is where my mentor search will start. I want to meet everyone, have a meaningful conversation with anyone, and get my feet wet as to what I want from the company, position, and myself.
The article talks about setting an agreement from the beginning to make sure there is no confusion and each party starts on the same page. Things to be discussed are how often to speak, schedules, and whether or not there is a personal connection. The article says that without actually liking the person on the individual level, it will end up being a chore to chat- even if they have a lot to teach.
So how do I pick a mentor? Should it be within the company I am working for? Is that a conflict of interest if they are in my department or senior to my manager? How do I promote myself so that they want to mentor me?
I overheard a conversation with career coach this past summer that held an interesting idea. They were telling this to a friend of mine at a casual social gathering. This friend was hoping to climb in their company but felt held back by her manager. The coach said to make an effort to meet everyone in the (small) company. She said to try to have coffee with someone new every week. It could be 15 minutes, it could be an hour, but get your face out there and really learn what everyone does, where they are, and who could be an ally and friend. I think this is where my mentor search will start. I want to meet everyone, have a meaningful conversation with anyone, and get my feet wet as to what I want from the company, position, and myself.
Open Pedagogy- a semi reflection
I found a blog about open education written by David Wiley, a creative fellow and adjunct faculty at Brigham Young University. He discusses lots of topics surrounding the topic of open pedagogy, or OER (open educational resources).
He gave a nice analogy in 2013 about how OER differs from traditional textbook-lecture class structure and how that should be celebrated. The analogy reads, "Using OER the same way we used commercial textbooks misses the point. It’s like driving an airplane down the road. Yes, the airplane has wheels and is capable of driving down on the road (provided the road is wide enough). But the point of an airplane is to fly at hundreds of miles per hour – not to drive. Driving an airplane around, simply because driving is how we always traveled in the past, squanders the huge potential of the airplane."
I like this analogy because it highlights application of material learned or researched. Yes, you can read a textbook or drive an airplane, but to learn (or fly) you must learn to apply, understand, question, and augment. This class is a lot like learning to fly an airplane. Not only does writing a primer, keeping a portfolio, and researching/presenting a topic help us learn and remember in a new way, but the self direction and forced accountability helps us 'take- off' professionally. As I've mentioned in a far past class, I go home and talk about what I learned that day, I apply it to my current relationships and projects, and I vividly remember lessons and activities that I found valuable. I cannot say that for most other classes.
He gave a nice analogy in 2013 about how OER differs from traditional textbook-lecture class structure and how that should be celebrated. The analogy reads, "Using OER the same way we used commercial textbooks misses the point. It’s like driving an airplane down the road. Yes, the airplane has wheels and is capable of driving down on the road (provided the road is wide enough). But the point of an airplane is to fly at hundreds of miles per hour – not to drive. Driving an airplane around, simply because driving is how we always traveled in the past, squanders the huge potential of the airplane."
I like this analogy because it highlights application of material learned or researched. Yes, you can read a textbook or drive an airplane, but to learn (or fly) you must learn to apply, understand, question, and augment. This class is a lot like learning to fly an airplane. Not only does writing a primer, keeping a portfolio, and researching/presenting a topic help us learn and remember in a new way, but the self direction and forced accountability helps us 'take- off' professionally. As I've mentioned in a far past class, I go home and talk about what I learned that day, I apply it to my current relationships and projects, and I vividly remember lessons and activities that I found valuable. I cannot say that for most other classes.
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